do this to me?” she’s pleading. “I can’t breathe. Please let me out of here.”
My chest feels like it’s about to explode. I start shaking and sweating, and now
I
can’t breathe. I sit up quickly and jerk my head from side to side, expecting somebody to burst out of the woods and shoot me dead on the spot. What the hell is wrong with me?
I climb off the rock, stand up for a second, and a wave of nausea comes over me.
Bam
, just like that, I double over and puke my guts out. I fall to my knees and keep heaving until there’s nothing left inside.
I crawl up against the side of the boulder and try to catch my breath. Everything goes black.
* * *
I’m standing right outside the motel room, and I have no idea how I got here.
I slide the card key into the slot, turn the door handle, and step inside. The lights are out, so I flick the switch, expecting to see Aurora tucked in and fast asleep.
The bed is empty, and there’s a note on it. I pick it up. Written in large block letters it says:
I HAVE HER NOW MATE. SEE YOU SOON.
CHAPTER 20
The detectives from New York and the officers from New Jersey sat huddled around a conference room table inside Manhattan’s third precinct. The far wall was covered with an outline containing a sequence of events, names, arrows, photographs, and circles. It was all written in different colors. A map of Gilgo Beach and the surrounding area was posted beside the outline. A large yellow X marked the spot where the body had been found. An enlarged photo of the crime scene was positioned beside the map, with smaller yellow numbers placed in various locations within the photo.
“Looks like some real fancy police work you got going on there, Detective.” Tanner said.
“This is how we do it in New York,” said Watts.
Sung rose from his chair, walked over to the wall, and put his face inches from the map. A confused look played across his face. “Care to explain?”
Watts stood, held up what looked like a pen, and clicked. A laser light beamed across the room. Pointing at the wall, he began. “This time sequence tells us approximately when Houston disappeared. We discovered that she left the club after midnight. From there, we go to the time she was reported missing, who reported it, the relationship, etc. As we continue down the line, it shows when and where we discovered the first pieces of evidence, the time it was collected, and what we found . . .”
Sung interrupted. “What’s with the picture of the pizza box?”
“That, officer, was our first real clue. It turns out the box was from a pizza place located in Queens, over fifteen miles from the garbage dumpster where we discovered it.”
“So how is that a clue?” asked Tanner.
“Houston’s blood was found a few feet from the dumpster. And when we checked out the pizza place, it turned out that Thomas Sullivan worked there as a delivery guy. We also found traces of vomit on the box, as well as on the pavement near the blood.” Watts pointed to a spot on the photo. “We ran DNA on Sullivan and it matched the vomit, so we know he was at the crime scene.”
“So what does this map of the beach have to do with all this?” Tanner asked.
“We found a body over there,” Watts pointed again. “But the body isn’t Houston’s.”
“Then how does it tie in?”
Stone chimed in before Watts could answer. “Are you familiar with the Gilgo Beach case from last year?”
Tanner nodded. “Of course. Are you saying this may be connected to that case? Is that a map of Gilgo Beach?”
“We can’t be certain that this is all connected,” said Stone. “But we suspect so. We found information on Sullivan’s computer that prompted us to investigate the beach.”
“That is something. So do you have any leads on his whereabouts?” Sung asked.
“Good question,” Stone answered. “Our last sighting was down in Cape May. Then we lost him. We’ve got some good men there and hope to locate him
My chest feels like it’s about to explode. I start shaking and sweating, and now
I
can’t breathe. I sit up quickly and jerk my head from side to side, expecting somebody to burst out of the woods and shoot me dead on the spot. What the hell is wrong with me?
I climb off the rock, stand up for a second, and a wave of nausea comes over me.
Bam
, just like that, I double over and puke my guts out. I fall to my knees and keep heaving until there’s nothing left inside.
I crawl up against the side of the boulder and try to catch my breath. Everything goes black.
* * *
I’m standing right outside the motel room, and I have no idea how I got here.
I slide the card key into the slot, turn the door handle, and step inside. The lights are out, so I flick the switch, expecting to see Aurora tucked in and fast asleep.
The bed is empty, and there’s a note on it. I pick it up. Written in large block letters it says:
I HAVE HER NOW MATE. SEE YOU SOON.
CHAPTER 20
The detectives from New York and the officers from New Jersey sat huddled around a conference room table inside Manhattan’s third precinct. The far wall was covered with an outline containing a sequence of events, names, arrows, photographs, and circles. It was all written in different colors. A map of Gilgo Beach and the surrounding area was posted beside the outline. A large yellow X marked the spot where the body had been found. An enlarged photo of the crime scene was positioned beside the map, with smaller yellow numbers placed in various locations within the photo.
“Looks like some real fancy police work you got going on there, Detective.” Tanner said.
“This is how we do it in New York,” said Watts.
Sung rose from his chair, walked over to the wall, and put his face inches from the map. A confused look played across his face. “Care to explain?”
Watts stood, held up what looked like a pen, and clicked. A laser light beamed across the room. Pointing at the wall, he began. “This time sequence tells us approximately when Houston disappeared. We discovered that she left the club after midnight. From there, we go to the time she was reported missing, who reported it, the relationship, etc. As we continue down the line, it shows when and where we discovered the first pieces of evidence, the time it was collected, and what we found . . .”
Sung interrupted. “What’s with the picture of the pizza box?”
“That, officer, was our first real clue. It turns out the box was from a pizza place located in Queens, over fifteen miles from the garbage dumpster where we discovered it.”
“So how is that a clue?” asked Tanner.
“Houston’s blood was found a few feet from the dumpster. And when we checked out the pizza place, it turned out that Thomas Sullivan worked there as a delivery guy. We also found traces of vomit on the box, as well as on the pavement near the blood.” Watts pointed to a spot on the photo. “We ran DNA on Sullivan and it matched the vomit, so we know he was at the crime scene.”
“So what does this map of the beach have to do with all this?” Tanner asked.
“We found a body over there,” Watts pointed again. “But the body isn’t Houston’s.”
“Then how does it tie in?”
Stone chimed in before Watts could answer. “Are you familiar with the Gilgo Beach case from last year?”
Tanner nodded. “Of course. Are you saying this may be connected to that case? Is that a map of Gilgo Beach?”
“We can’t be certain that this is all connected,” said Stone. “But we suspect so. We found information on Sullivan’s computer that prompted us to investigate the beach.”
“That is something. So do you have any leads on his whereabouts?” Sung asked.
“Good question,” Stone answered. “Our last sighting was down in Cape May. Then we lost him. We’ve got some good men there and hope to locate him
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